Newslinks for Sunday 10th May 2015

New Cabinet drawn up to ‘reach out’ to every wing of the party…

“David Cameron is today working in Downing Street on the Cabinet reshuffle, offering jobs to MPs from every wing of the Tory party to shore up his support in the wake of his shock election victory. The Prime Minister hopes to head off the threat of early rebellion by reacting to criticism that for the last five years Number 10 has been run by an exclusive clique. Right-wing Conservatives and arch-Eurosceptics are expected to be given prominent jobs in a bid to protect his surprise – but slender – majority secured in this week’s general election. He will use spaces at the Cabinet table freed up by the Lib Dems’ defeat to promote a raft of new faces, tasked with pushing through a radical policy plan in the first 100 days while the Labour is distracted by the inquest into its catastrophic loss and looking for a new leader.” – Mail on Sunday

Justice for Gove: promotion and a pay rise for loyal minister – Mail on Sunday

…as Cameron opens a 100-day policy ‘blitz’

“David Cameron will launch a 100-day policy offensive to kick-start his second term, accelerating his plans for a new deal with Brussels, cementing Tory control of the House of Commons and pushing through abolition of the Human Rights Act. The prime minister will take advantage of the honeymoon after his unexpected victory in the general election to drive through radical changes before the summer recess. With a working majority of 15, Cameron has decided to move fast to redraw constituency boundaries to make the electoral system fairer to the Tories — a move likely to boost the number of Conservative MPs at the next election by 20 but which was blocked by the Liberal Democrats during the coalition government. In a crucial concession to his backbenchers, he has dropped plans to reduce the number of MPs from 650 to 600, meaning the change can be pushed through without angering MPs who would be out of a job when the boundaries are redrawn.” – Sunday Times (£)

Free from Lib Dem shackles, Cameron able to unleash most radical legislative programme in British history – Independent on Sunday

“What the right needs to accept is that the prime minister has been consistently more popular than his party. While I hardly dare write the word “polls” just now, for fear of inducing hilarity, surveys have long found that people see Cameron as having closer views to their own than they do the Conservative party as a whole. Last week proved yet again that elections, at least in England and Wales, are won on the centre ground. If Cameron can make the same “big, open offer” to his party that he made to the Lib Dems there is a good opportunity to reunite the right. And to reach out to the lower-middle and working-class voters who have felt neglected by the main parties. With 12% of the national vote, Ukip remains a significant force. This does not have to mean a “lurch to the right”. The issues of immigration and EU reform are no longer extreme, but mainstream. Lord Ashcroft’s analysis on Friday of why voters made the choices they did on Thursday suggests that people ranked immigration as their third-biggest concern, close behind the NHS and jobs.” – Sunday Times (£)

If they can’t get the hang of ‘shy Tories’ polls should be axed – Dominic Lawson, Sunday Times (£)

Bad heir day for Boris as hopes of crown fade

“It was not yet dawn on Friday when Boris Johnson took to the stage in Brunel University’s athletics hall for the count, but it was already clear that his coronation had been cancelled. Sure, he was to be returned as the new MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip on a comfortable majority of 10,685, and he made appropriate noises of gratitude and delight. Yet as he shortly afterwards admitted, the chances of him now becoming Conservative leader — the chief rationale behind his return to parliament — had been reduced from the status of an “olive to a mere baked bean, or even a Rice Krispie”. David Cameron, Johnson conceded, had played a “blinder”. For once it was Johnson who looked pale and deflated — and in search of a next step.” – Sunday Times (£)

As Labour big beasts savage Miliband…

“Senior Labour figures queued up yesterday to blame Ed Miliband for the party’s shattering Election defeat. A bitter war of words erupted between rival factions over how David Cameron achieved a stunning victory against most expectations. The chorus of criticism was led by Lord Glasman, a former adviser to Mr Miliband. Lord Glasman said Mr Miliband’s lack of understanding of business and refusal to admit that the last Labour Government spent too much were a turn-off to voters.” – Mail on Sunday

…the leadership battle begins as Blairite Kendall launches bid

“Liz Kendall, the shadow health minister, today launches her attempt to become Labour leader, warning that the “future survival” of the party is at risk unless it starts trying to appeal to Conservative voters as well as the party’s traditional supporters. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Kendall condemned the “truly terrible result” under Ed Miliband, which saw Labour reduced to its lowest number of MPs since 1983, and warned that the party has “far too little” to say to middle-class voters. Warning that Labour has no prospect of returning to power in 2020 unless it embarks on a “rethink about who we are and what we’re for”, she said: “Fundamental reform is essential to the future survival of our party.”– Sunday Times (£)

Is David Miliband returning to the UK to become Labour leader? – Sunday Telegraph

“Jim Murphy’s leadership of Scottish Labour is under mounting pressure after two trade unions called on him to resign and a former rival for the position branded the party’s defeat by the SNP a disaster. Pat Rafferty, Scottish secretary for Unite the Union, led calls for Murphy to stand down on Saturday, saying that Murphy’s continued leadership would “only prolong the party’s agony” in the wake of its humiliating general election result. Murphy was a significant casualty on Thursday night for Scottish Labour, who lost his once safe seat of East Renfrewshire to the SNP’s Kirsten Oswald, who claimed victory with 23,564 votes to Labour’s 19,295. Despite the emphatic defeat, Murphy said he would stay on as leader as the party had lacked “continuity of leadership”, having had five leaders in the past seven years.” – The Observer

Liberal Democrats turn on Clegg

“Liberal Democrat MPs have rounded on Nick Clegg for “fatal” errors while serving in the Coalition after a devastating defeat that wiped out 48 MPs and could leave the party in the wilderness for decades. As the Lib Dems reeled from loss of almost all their senior figures, divisions emerged in the remnants of the parliamentary party as two of the eight survivors – John Pugh and Greg Mulholland – pointed the finger of blame at Mr Clegg, who resigned as leader on Friday. Mr Mulholland, MP for Leeds North West, said the party had been right to go into government but said the leadership made “three fatal errors” in its policies on tuition fees, the NHS and the bedroom tax. The party now needed a leader who had voted against tuition fees, he said.” – Sunday Telegraph

Activists say leaders took them down a centrist blind alley – The Observer

UKIP take first council as Tory local government wins continue to roll in

“Ukip has taken control of its first council today – in the seat where Nigel Farage failed to get voted in as MP. The party gained Thanet District Council in Kent, returning 33 out of 56 councillors, and beating the Conservatives 18, Labour’s four and Independent’s one. It comes a day after the straight-talking Ukip leader, who was present at the count, resigned when he was beaten to his target seat of South Thanet by the Tories. Marathon local election counts have ground on into the third day with Tories extending their run of council poll triumphs. With results in from 267 out of 279 authorities, Conservatives have now made 518 net seat gains, Ukip 82 and Greens 12. Liberal Democrats have 355 net losses and Labour 185.” – Mail on Sunday

UKIP decries voting system after taking 12 per cent of the vote and one seat – Mail on Sunday

“David Cameron is ready to call Nicola Sturgeon’s bluff by giving Scotland its own tax-and-spend powers. His allies say the move would leave the SNP leader exposed — and could save the UK. They believe handing over full fiscal autonomy would be a “rude awakening” for nationalists as it would leave a £7.6billion-a-year black hole in Scottish finances. Details emerged as Ms Sturgeon’s 56 MPs prepared to invade Westminster tomorrow, ahead of the Commons re-opening.” – Sun on Sunday (£)

SNP 2) Split between Sturgeon and Salmond over party strategy

“A dramatic split between Scottish Nationalist leaders Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond opened yesterday over whether Scotland should remain part of the UK. Former SNP leader Salmond, who won a Commons seat on Thursday, claimed the party’s General Election landslide has moved Britain closer to a break-up. But Ms Sturgeon appeared to contradict him, by pledging that the 56 SNP MPs who won seats last week would not seek to drive a wedge between England and Scotland.” – Mail on Sunday

And finally… has Red Ed joined the boys in blue?

“A photograph of a Metropolitan Police officer wearing riot gear has created a Twitter storm after an eagle-eyed user spotted the PC who bears a remarkable similarity to outgoing Labour leader Ed Miliband. The officer is wearing a blue riot helmet and most of his face is covered by a fire-proof balaclava. The unnamed police officer has the letters ‘MP; on the front of his helmet and is pictured covering his nether-regions with his heavily gloved hands. The un-named police officer was not looking directly at the camera and his nose, which is one of Mr Miliband’s most recognisible features… Some 17 people were arrested in Central London yesterday after anarchists and a hard-left hate mob scuffled with police.” – Mail on Sunday

Charlotte Church protests against Cameron’s re-election – Mail on Sunday

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